Monthly Archives: November 2012

I was having a conversation with someone this week, and I was reminded of the age old challenge. How do you find good Bible study resources online? OK, maybe it is not an age old challenge, but it is a very relevant challenge.

Well, I’m pleased to share with you what I believe to be one of the best online resources you’ll ever find. If you are reading this, then chances are that you have a Bible app or a Bible website that you use frequently. Some websites include online bibles with commentaries. Seems like a great deal, but there’s one problem. Who writes a commentary and then gives it away on a website? Chances are, these free study resources are free for a reason. They are either really old or really weird. So where can you go to find a good, reliable commentary online–one where you can trust that the author thinks properly about the Bible and that they will help you interpret the Scriptures in a way that is applicable to your life?

Well, I’m glad you asked. The resource I want to share with you today is probably the best thing I’ll ever share with you here in the Momentum group. (That means it is all downhill from here). One highly accomplished Bible scholar has decided to share his life’s work freely on the internet. Dr. Thomas Constable is a retired professor from Dallas Seminary (the same school that produced such giants of the faith as Brad Henderson and Kris Harrison). Dr. Constable has written a fabulous commentary on all 66 books of the Bible. He could have made a small fortune publishing his commentary, but instead he has made it freely available online. So, now, instead of a bunch of weird, outdated commentaries online, there is at least one very reliable, very applicable commentary available for free. If you are a teacher or leader, I hope that this becomes one of your “go to” resources. There are two places you can find Dr. Constable’s commentary online:

https://net.bible.org/#!bible/Matthew+1 — Dr. Constable’s notes appear here as part of the NET study Bible. (The NET is an excellent translation, with great notes on its own.) To get to Dr. Constable’s commentary, just click on the blue “Constable’s Notes” near the top right of the page. If you navigate to a new portion of Scripture, the notes will navigate with you. Very easy to use.

http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm — Here, Dr. Constable’s notes appear in pdf form. That makes them perfect for downloading and printing, or for use on an e-reader. Just download the notes for a particular Bible book you are studying and you’ve got a great, portable resource.

I hope you find these helpful. Pastor Brad and I certainly do. We don’t teach or preach without consulting Dr. Constable’s notes first.

Today I wanted to share something new with you, that I hope you will find very practical. We’ve spoken before in this group about the value of reading. At the most recent Leadership Event, Pastor Brad encouraged us to get exposure to other ideas and other leaders.

In the spirit of that, I want to point you to SUMS. Sums is a free service being offered by Will Mancini. He’s a church strategist and a top level thinker. Sums is a subscription service where you’ll receive book summaries throughout the year. If you like the book summary, you can buy the book, but even if you don’t buy it, you still get to engage the main ideas of the book.